


Invading a Memory

by taintedidealist



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/F, One-Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-05-07
Updated: 2014-05-07
Packaged: 2018-01-23 21:07:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,269
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1579589
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/taintedidealist/pseuds/taintedidealist
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Falling through another goddamned portal, Emma Swan finds herself sprawled at the feet of a very startled Regina Mills collecting ingredients for her next lesson with Rumpelstiltskin.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Invading a Memory

**Author's Note:**

  * For [xraex21](https://archiveofourown.org/users/xraex21/gifts).



> I have an allergy fit going on… so naturally I text my friends to give me a one-shot prompt, as you do. They're beautiful enablers.

The dirt tasted different.

Emma knew this thought alone said more about the past few years of her life than any of the bail bonds person days. Dirt was dirt, until it was from a different world. She slowly raised her face from the ground and found maple leaves matted into her hair like a headband for hobos. She huffed, trying to get her arms under her, maybe a headband for hobbits or a woodland elf. Emma nodded in agreement with herself as she pushed up to her knees before sitting back on her feet.

At least she had worn pants and boots today. She brushed the woodland mulch from her arms and reminded herself from now on to only dress for possible portal jumps to a forest, a jungle, or…

“Stop right there!” A slightly quaking voice came from behind her. She felt something dig into her lower back. Emma winced and took in a shallow breath, no, it was now painfully digging into her lower back.

“Hey,” Emma brightly called out as her arms slowly raised to place her hands behind her head. “No harm meant here just fell from the sky?”

The weapon dug in still harder and Emma grimaced, “If you mean no harm why do you bring a sword?” Emma could make out the voice was feminine and oddly familiar.

Emma tilted her head to the side in thought before she tried to rise to greet the woman behind her.

She understood this as a faulty move as Emma had joined the dirt, moss, and her ever trusty maple leaves again on the forest floor.  
  
“Did I say you could move peasant?”

The question was gritted out with just with equal parts irritation and admiration that Emma couldn’t help but ask, “Regina?”

She felt the pressure on her back stutter; the foot that had joined the weapon hovered for a moment and Emma knew the opening would not last for long. She flipped over onto her back, sweeping her leg behind her and felt as she caught solid mass. Emma couldn’t help the grin that spread across her face at besting her captor.

Emma took in the woman in expensive riding clothes before her. The dark green jacket interwoven with leather belied a handmade quality, with a high neck she had not seen in her time here with Mary Margaret. The woman stood abruptly and brushed at the pants that matched the leather of her jacket. “Holy shit,” Emma whispered as she took in her face. The makeup was lighter with a hint of blush and a near nude lipstick and the twin braids were unfurling.

“Excuse me?” Regina rolled her shoulders trying to make herself taller and more sure of herself. She brandished a small leather riding crop as her weapon of choice.

It was the most adorable thing Emma Swan had ever seen her do and the wide smile that broke over her face only made it better as the irritation continued to rise up Regina’s neck in slight blotches of a blush which finally hit her cheeks.

“It’s an expression,” Emma offered as she slowly rose from the ground keeping her hands up in fealty, “and from where I come from, one to note surprise of a monumental size.”

Regina’s eyes raked over this improperly dressed visitor with poor manners, and sadly even worse posture. She flipped her riding crop, catching it by the handle and quickly tucking it under her arm. Her eyebrow rose in a question she was afraid to ask.

“I’m not here to hurt you, actually I don’t even know _why_ I’m here.”

“Are you Alice?” Regina pulled roughly at the ends of her riding gloves.   
  
“What?” Emma’s mouth dropped open, dumbfounded, “No, I’m Emma.”

“Emma,” the young woman’s tongue wet her lips as if she was trying to catch something on the wind, “And how do you Emma--” Regina paused, her tongue dipping out again, “know my name?”

She squinted back at Regina infinitely sure she had been asked a question, but for the life of her she was stuck back on how it seemed that Regina was tasting her name like an amuse-bouche.  Emma hummed in deep thought as she poked her cheek with her tongue trying to guess what Regina had asked.

“I’m not from Wonderland.” she stated, even though it sounded more like a question to them both.

Regina laughed, warmly and brightly, “Clearly.”

Had this been what Regina had looked like before everything had gone wrong for her? Emma smiled at her, so young, until she saw the ring sparkling on her left hand.

“Oh,” Emma felt it escape before she could catch it, “you’re married.”

She saw the color drain from Regina’s cheeks for a minute before she shook her head, “You know my name, but not who I am Emma?”   
  
Emma swallowed and thought, _the timeline. Stick to the timeline. Hide the truth in subtle subterfuge_ , before muttering “Gosling.”

“Ah, so Miss Gosling,” Regina walked closer, “Are you here to kill yourself a Queen?”

Emma shook her head, knotted curls moving together to emphasize the strength of her feelings, “No, very much not.” She sighed, “I would never hurt you Regina.”

They both stopped as Emma expelled a sigh and closed her eyes. Too much truth and not enough subterfuge. She felt a warm hand cup her chin and pull it slightly down, opening her eyes Emma saw the wondrous expression on Regina’s face.

“Do we know one another Emma?”

The question hovered for a moment, she knew it didn’t need an answer, but she wondered if telling her would change everything.

Emma wondered if being here now could stop an event from in the past causing her world to unravel. Then again she knew Rumpelstiltskin would always find a way to line up the chess pieces to get the Queen to cast the curse.

And Emma would always be the Savior.

So she nodded, “Yes, we will.”

Tears shone in soulful brown eyes that had so many more tears to fall before Emma would be able to wrap her arms around Regina.

But her arms were wrapped around the petite frame anyway and Regina’s hand slid across her cheek, “Do you promise?”   
  
Emma’s head ducked down and stole a simple sweet kiss from a Queen.   
  
“It will seem like a lifetime.”

Regina smiled, “I have already had one pass me by, what’s another.”

“I’ll fade from your memory.” Emma shook her head, she should not have talked to her, just made her apologies and left.

Regina laughed, “I’ll remember you always.”

She said it with such certainty, and as she turned toward her steed Emma felt a tear slip from her eye as she moved her hand through the air, puffs of magic spinning toward Regina. She knew the spell hit its mark when Regina’s shoulders drooped for a moment.

“Come now Dearie,” the imp made himself known, Emma wondered how long he had been listening, “You have more ingredients to find for this next spell.”

“Why do we need ingredients?”

His snake like eyes took Emma in, “Forgetting spells are simpler with the ingredients first. To cast it from emotion, well,” he paused, “it takes a deft touch.”

They left, feet crunching into the underwoods as they went.

“I’ll carry the memory for us both.” Emma nodded before bending down to grasp the hilt of her sword. Now to find out why she had fallen back in time as well as through worlds.

She hoped Jefferson still resided in the Enchanted Forest and had a hat to spare.

**Author's Note:**

> xraex21 just won on quickest text return, xan won at best attempt at pretending to work during work, k8eistrouble wins at making tired, whiny words into better words that form full sentences aka beta and DC won at best impression of being asleep or being surprised at her phone in the morning for being text bombed.


End file.
